Generally — Most Areas
Atlantic white cedar (zones 4-8) suits most of Arizona (5b-10b) — zones 5-8 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Atlantic White Cedar in Arizona — the short answer
Atlantic White Cedar in Arizona: hardy in zones 4–8, part sun.
- Plant zones
- 4-8
- Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 3a–9b
- Arizona zones
- 5b-10b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Feb 1 - Apr 2 – Nov 13 - Dec 12
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 150 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Arizona spans zones 5b-10b, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score atlantic white cedar against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Arizona is not one climate
Arizona’s winter-low ladder runs across 15 counties, from zone 6 in Coconino County to zone 9.5 in Yuma County. That is 35°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between atlantic white cedar overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 15 counties runs 7.5–9.5 zones, with a median of 8.5 zones — a 3.5-zone span end to end.
Measured across 15 Arizona counties. USDA PHZM 2023, per county. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where in Arizona Fits Best
Atlantic White Cedar is rated for zones 4–8 — a cold floor USDA puts at -30 to -20°F. Against Arizona’s 15 counties that band holds in 7 of them, and the line runs at Coconino County (zone 6a), the coldest county still inside it.
Inside zones 4–8
7 counties
- Apache County · zone 6b
- Navajo County · zone 7a
- Cochise County · zone 8a
3 of 7 shown
Above the zone 8 ceiling
8 counties
- Graham County · zone 8b
- Santa Cruz County · zone 8b
- Gila County · zone 9a
3 of 8 shown
Warmer than the zone 8 end of its range.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Even within Arizona's zones 5b-10b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for atlantic white cedar (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Atlantic White Cedar Needs
- USDA Zones: 4-8
- Sun: Part SunWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Mature size: 50 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: LowWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Arizona Has
- USDA Zones: 5b-10b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Feb 1 - Apr 2
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 13 - Dec 12
- Annual Rainfall: 3-25 inches
- Common Soils: Caliche, Sandy loam, Desert pavement
Plant Zone Range (zones 4-8)
Preferred Soil pH
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Atlantic White Cedar in Arizona
The frost window
Across Arizona, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 1 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 13 and Dec 12 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 225-day window you can count on — up to 314 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
Winter standing
Arizona runs as cold as USDA zone 5, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for atlantic white cedar, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether atlantic white cedar is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Arizona; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Atlantic White Cedar prefers acidic soil (pH 3.5-5.5). Arizona's caliche can run on the acidic side, which often aligns well — confirm with a soil test before planting. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 4 and 5.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Arizona soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage requirement: poorly (saturated >50% of year). A soil-survey lookup (NRCS SSURGO) flags whether your specific site matches. pH range, preferred pH and drainage need: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Arizona soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Atlantic White Cedar in Arizona
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Arizona growers also need to think about:
Extreme heat exceeding 110F stresses most plants
Minimal rainfall requires drip irrigation
Caliche hardpan prevents root penetration without breaking through
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Arizona grower, not just atlantic white cedar — is covered on the Arizona growing guide.
Where in Arizona Atlantic White Cedar Is Zone-Hardy
Atlantic White Cedar is rated for USDA zones 4–8. 7 of Arizona’s 15 counties fall inside that band. The coldest that does is Coconino County at zone 6a. 8 counties sit above its zone 8 ceiling, where the limit is too little winter chill rather than too much cold. Where you are in Arizona decides this one.
Across those 15 counties Arizona’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 6a in Coconino County to zone 9b in Yuma County — 3.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 35°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. That is why a statewide hardiness answer is where you start and not where you finish.
The planting window moves with it. Coconino County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about May 15, while Maricopa County is clear by Jan 15 — 120 days apart. Set atlantic white cedar out on your county’s date, not the state’s.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F killing freeze — earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost". Atlantic White Cedar’s zone 4–8 band: Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 3a–9b. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Arizona Cooperative Extension
For Arizona-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for atlantic white cedar, the canonical source is University of Arizona Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Atlantic White Cedar native to Arizona?
Atlantic White Cedar is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) does not record it growing in Arizona. It can still earn a place in a Arizona garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Arizona growing guide lists plants that USDA PLANTS records growing in Arizona and that Kew and NatureServe Explorer both list in its native range, leaving out any that NatureServe flags as exotic there or that our audit holds.
State records: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution data (presence, not state-level nativity), accessed 2026-10-19.
Common Questions About Growing Atlantic White Cedar in Arizona
When can I plant Atlantic White Cedar in Arizona?
Arizona's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 1 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 13 and Dec 12 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Atlantic White Cedar, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Arizona and publishes no fall establishment date for it — check its hardiness range against your own zone before treating it as a permanent planting.
What hardiness zone is Atlantic White Cedar grown in across Arizona?
Arizona spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-10b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Atlantic White Cedar carries a range of zones 4-8, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Arizona site have?
A typical Arizona site sees ~266 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Atlantic White Cedar needs 140+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Atlantic White Cedar native to Arizona?
Atlantic White Cedar is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) does not record it growing in Arizona. It can still earn a place in a Arizona garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
How should I amend the soil for Atlantic White Cedar in Arizona?
Atlantic White Cedar prefers pH 3.5-5.5 and poorly (saturated >50% of year) drainage. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Most Arizona soils run mildly acidic to neutral; many sites land near this band naturally, and a soil test plus targeted sulfur or organic amendment closes any gap.
Will Atlantic White Cedar actually grow on my specific land in Arizona?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores atlantic white cedar against your address's mapped soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Arizona
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores atlantic white cedar against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Arizona atlantic white cedar averages can't show:
We read public map data around Arizona — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Arizona atlantic white cedar average
Explore More
Growing guides for atlantic white cedar
Explore Arizona county by county
Arizona carries 15 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for atlantic white cedar there:
Where else atlantic white cedar grows
Atlantic White Cedar's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Arizona in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in Arizona
Arizona has a growing page for 1,036 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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